Do SHO's run a hole in your pocket book!?

[WhatTimeisit?]

Just wanted to know if SHOs cost a lot to maintain??? Thanks...
-Calvin

 

[DJ SHO]

Bottom line, Yes. Well, it depends on how well the car was maintained before.

 

[NIKOTONKS]

Conventional wisdom says yes (and it's right, from what I can tell) but sometimes you CAN get lucky. The SHO my stepdad owns (I have nothing to do with it anymore, damn college edumacation!) has been a rock, mechanically. It got in a major accident, even, and it still runs like a champ (we got it fixed, of course). I would love it if he did a 60k service on it (probably has about 110k on it now, if not more), as I still drive it on vacations, but really, it hasn't needed ANYTHING. My stepdad has good luck with cars, I guess. His last (Nissan Sentra) went 215,000 miles on the original clutch, and started every single time with no fuss until the day it got too grungy to keep.

Anyway, enough rambling.

 

[edmontonsho]

You were looking to by a SHO right (i don't see one in your info), in that case:

Many of these cars are hitting the fifteen year old mark. If you can think of a car that is that old and requires little to maintain, id like to here about it.

If the SHO you want has been treated very well in it's past you will be lucky. I for one have a SHO (96 000km)that has been in my family since day one, and it has minimal problems. Keep in mind the climate where I live, and it had no problem at all starting on a day where the wind chill was -40C and I was parked outside.

But like most cars, if it has been beat up look out. Also many of the parts are being discontinued or extremely hard to find. Ex. Did you guys know a fog light assembly cost $218cdn? Be prepared to go to junkyards to find parts. If you do find a SHO that is in good condition you are going to have an absolute blast.

 

[Soopacharged]

This is my experience with my '89 mtx SHO in Montreal. A city where SHO's are more rare than California girls and beach bums. Unless your getting a well maintained SHO, be prepared to dig real deep. The SHO is not a bad car but when things go wrong it WILL cost you a fortune. The reason for the high cost is every part on the engine is SHO specific. On top of that the parts are never avilable at a parts store. You have to go to the dealer for parts, and when you get there you have to stress that you want SHO parts. Not L not LX not GL(A.K.A. SLO's). When you do find the part you want it's never in stock. It's always at some far off dealer, but you can always order now and pick it up tommorow, provided you order before 3p.m. Here' s an example: My clutch had been slipping for a while so I head down to the local parts dealers to get the parts I need. I get the same answer from all, "We don't stock that part, go to the dealer." Damn!! So I'm at the parts counter at the local Ford dealer now and the guy says,"We don't have that anymore it's been discontinued." Damn!! But wait it's not over yet, I'm offered an upgraded clucth for the '91 model year. Supposedly the clutch for the '89 SHO's were crap anyway. The bill comes to about $800CDN, that includes the clutch, flywheel,and pressure plate. That's only parts. Now the service guy wants about $600 or $700 to install everything. I found a trnsmission place to do the job $400 tax in. So that's my story. I almost bailed out on it and went with something Japanese. But you know what, there's nothing like a SHO. Pop your hood and the people will come. That engine is one of a kind. I'm a big man and I need a big man car,no Hondas for me. I still love my SHO.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Q- Do SHO's need a bit of maintenance?
A- YES!

Q- Are SHO parts often X-times as much as a regular taurus?
A- YES!

Q- Do you have to wait for parts when nearly every other car can have parts off th sheft?
A- YES!


And a few more to ballance things out:

Q- Does the SHO put a smile on my face EVERY time I drive it?
A- YES...oh YES!

Q- Would I literally go crazy if I had a car that needed NO maintenance?
A- YES!

 

[jthomas68]

I hate when people say SHO`s are money pits.I`ve got 4 1/2 years on mine,and it hasn`t been anything of a mojor cost since i`ve had it.If you to maintenance when it`s do,fix broke parts immediately,and replace worn parts before they break,you should have no problems.

 

[Leon]

IMHO the SHO is just as reliable as most high perf.cars...the trick is when something does need to be repaired or replaced,take advantage of the situation and fix it with better,upgraded parts,many of which are available from sponsors of this site wink

 

[91 SHOplus]

jthomas68:
I hate when people say SHO`s are money pits.I`ve got 4 1/2 years on mine,and it hasn`t been anything of a mojor cost since i`ve had it.If you to maintenance when it`s do,fix broke parts immediately,and replace worn parts before they break,you should have no problems.

Doesn't doing maintenance when it's due, and replacing broken parts costs big $$$ ? shrug

[Knock-wood] My experience with the SHO engine has been very good. All of the other things suck. (i.e. Ford parts - brakes, rust, eatc buttons, blend door, dead fogs, etc.) [/knock-wood]

 

[91 SHOplus]

91 SHOplus:

jthomas68:
I hate when people say SHO`s are money pits.I`ve got 4 1/2 years on mine,and it hasn`t been anything of a mojor cost since i`ve had it.If you to maintenance when it`s do,fix broke parts immediately,and replace worn parts before they break,you should have no problems.

And doesn't doing maintenance when it's due, and replacing broken parts cost big $$$ ? shrug

[Knock-wood] My experience with the SHO engine has been very good. All of the other things suck. (i.e. Ford parts - brakes, rust, eatc buttons, blend door, dead fogs, etc.) [/knock-wood]

I love my SHO, and she runs strong. When she breaks, she's expensive to fix. She's no POS, just old and driven hard by the P.O. She requires parts that are hard to get and/or expensive.

 

[yamahaSHO]

Well... my engine has been reliable. The only reason I can say mine would be a moneypit is because my desire to mod it. Performance parts are not cheap, but you know the saying "gotta pay to play"

 

[SLOSHO89]

Like any old car there is maintnance to be done. But if you do the work your self then it isn't that expensive.

I bought my SHO for $600 with a blown motor. I did all the work on it my self except the alignment and therefore saving my self around 3,000 dolars in labor alone. So I have less than $4,000 into it and am very happy with the car I got with my money.

Efren

 

[91 SHOplus]

SLOSHO89:
Like any old car there is maintnance to be done. But if you do the work your self then it isn't that expensive.

I agree. However, $5 is alot of money if you don't have it.

There also are those who can not do their own labor. They either do not have the skill, the tools, a place to do it, (which is my problem.) or the confidence in their ability.

Our parts are still expensive whether you do the work yourself, or send it out to a pro.

 

[rlw001]

I don't think they are any more expensive to maintain than any other performance car. I fix things right away, some people wait until many things need repair and then it gets expensive to fix them all at once. This forum has saved me alot of money with sources for parts and also advice on fixing things myself. Don't be cheap use quality replacement parts and you will be happy. I am a firm believer in doing right the first time.

I have no car payments so throwing a few bucks here and there is not a problem, especially because I always put in a better replacement (performance) part.

<small>[ March 12, 2003, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: rlw001 ]</small>

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

rlw001:

I have no car payments so throwing a few bucks here and there is not a problem, especially because I always put in a better replacement (performance) part.

Yes sir! thumbs_u

I paid $3k for my SHO when I could have paid $20k+ for a compairable car and mileage. Ive put about $1k into her since December (normal maintenance items that werent addressed by the PO).

But here's te deal:
Just imagine what I could do to the SHO if I put $20k into her

 

[rangerj]

WHATTIMEISIT,

Think of it as a hobby! Owning a SHO is like having a second significant other. It can be a PIA, expensive to maintain, moody, and takes a lot of time to keep "happy". But when it performs well, it's all worth it! thumbs_u rangerj

 

[oh_SHO]

What the heck I'll throw down another example. My SHO has been in the family since 15K and now shes got 130K. Whats been done so far? One starter, one steering rack, two thermostats, one oil press. sending unit and the timing belt. Not bad in my opion. BUT I am doing my 120K service which will cost. Just some more food for thought.

 

[DubbaDooz]

Yes, the SHO is a performance car in many ways, but it also happens to be a car that many of us (myself included) drive every day of the year. Truth of the matter is, my car is sitting dead in my parents' garage 200 miles away and i still love it. Try driving a corvette or a supra 365 days a year through the cold and snow and watch the repair bills come rolling in. Also, think of what you bought your SHO for (assuming it was used). Chances are, you got a really good deal. I can't think of any better car for the money. However, things have a tendency to even themselves out. Sure, your low-mileage, good looking SHO cost you just $3,000, but I'd expect to put a couple more dollars into it to keep it happy.

 

[SLOSHO89]

rangerj:
Think of it as a hobby! Owning a SHO is like having a second significant other. It can be a PIA, expensive to maintain, moody, and takes a lot of time to keep "happy". But when it performs well, it's all worth it! thumbs_u rangerj

Can I put that in my sig? thumbs_u
Efren

 

[sdpatt]

It's much less costly than a new car payment for a ride that can provide the same amount of fun and function.